Lynn A. Leonard

Lynn Leonard currently serves as the Associate Director for Research & Innovation at the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Center for Marine Science (CMS). Previously, Leonard served as interim Executive Director of CMS and Chair of the Departments of Earth and Ocean Science and Physics and Physical Oceanography. She is a marine scientist who specializes in coastal hydrology, marine geology, and ocean observation. Dr. Leonard is also the director of the Coastal Ocean Research and Monitoring Program (CORMP) housed at the UNCW Center for Marine Science. CORMP operates 17 offshore buoys that provide real-time observations of marine weather and oceanographic conditions along the coasts of North and South Carolina and the Florida east coast. CORMP is funded by the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA) through a grant from NOAA’s Integrated Ocean Observing System Program. In addition, Leonard is coprincipal investigator on an interdisciplinary team bringing the first drone observatory to UNCW and the southeast region as well as principal investigator on a Maritime Administration’s Maritime Environmental and Technical Assistance Program (META) study seeking to measure and model underwater radiated noise generated by ships in shallow water. Leonard holds an M.S. from Duke University and earned her Ph.D. at the University of South Florida.

Education

B.S. in Geology, William and Mary
M.S. in Geology, Duke University
PhD. in Marine Science, University of South Florida

Specialization in Teaching

Oceanography
Applied Field Methods
Sediment Dynamics

Research Interests

Coastal Hydrology
Marine Geology
Ocean Observation (CORMP.org)

Professional Service

Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association Science Committee
Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association Education and Outreach Committee

Community Engagement

UNCW Liaison, New Hanover County Public Schools Marine Science Academy
NC Estuarine Research Reserve-Masonboro Island, Local Advisory Committee, member

Honors & Awards

Sigma Xi Science Honor Society: March 1997
Most Outstanding Faculty Member, Department of Earth Sciences, UNCW: April 1999
UNCW Million Dollar Club: April 1999
UNCW Chancellor’s Teaching Excellence Award: 2000
UNCW Five Million Dollar Club: 2006
Department of Commerce, National Weather Service, Public Service Award: 2007
UNCW Faculty Scholar Award: 2012
UNCW Ten Million Dollar Club 2012
UNCW Twenty Million Dollar Recipient: 2024
J. Marshal Crews Distinguished Faculty Award: 2024